a face-to-face meeting at the white house getting under way right now. one that could determine whether or not our nation plunges right off the fiscal cliff. take a live look at the white house where president obama called the top house and senate leaders from both parties to try and hammer out a deal avoiding the tax hikes and crippling spending cuts. remember analysts say falling off the fiscal cliff could drive the u.s. into another recession. more than a month has passed since the last time they got together. the obama administration called that mid another meeting constructive but there has been little to no progress. today lawmakers on both sides of the aisle tried to strike an optimistic tone. >> millions of americans are out there struggling and certainly they deserve a congress that will avoid going over the fiscal cliff, which is why the president has been working hard to bring leaders together. >> we can't continue to kick the can down the road with half measures. i think the market will respond in a permanent and negative way to our inaction.